Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Good evening. It’s just after 730 and we are settling down for the evening. At 5:30 we went over to Mark and Lani‘s for a swim in their lovely pool. It was 86°, 1° warmer than the air. Next thing we knew we were being served with a lovely charcuterie board in the pool.  Nice! After a drink we came home to chill with our doggies. Speaking of dogs … Henry had his teeth cleaned and his nail clipped where our kids had theirs done a few months ago. All went well! 

Earlier today we picked up KimBob and went to Twisted Biscuit for lunch. Great food served in a big way. It was fun to catch up with them and hear about their family happenings. 

That’s it. I forgot to take a picture today. 😂

Sunday, May 29, 2022

Good morning. We were a little too late getting in and settled last night to add to the blog. Indeed, did I even start it yesterday? Oh yes, I did write a little.

We left home yesterday about 4 o’clock heading to the villages. We had happy hour drinks with Sue and Wayne and a few laughs. (Their new landscaper has pulled out all the plants by their front window! Only 1 rose bush made the cut.  🥀 Mark and I will do a little decorative landscape in there while they are traveling. It’ll be fun for us, and we have some ideas already. Chattahoochee stone will be the base.)

Anyway, after our happy hour drink(s) we headed over to Ruby Tuesday to meet with Diane and Kris. Well, there was an hour wait and as Mark said, the waiting area looked like a scene from “night of the living dead“ 😂 Since the place was nearly empty, I’m guessing they were having trouble getting staff. Sue and Wayne thought we should try Applebee’s, and they were right. We phoned and they had a hightop table for we six right away. Within five minutes we were sitting at the table with drinks in hand. Now that’s some good service! 

Wayne, Sue, and Diane

Julie, Kris, Mark

AND … a special picture the guys posed for for Rick. LOL 

Dinner was delicious, and a bargain. We will definitely go back to Applebee’s again. It’ll be a good place to meet up with Diane and Kris over summer. 

We puttered about today putting the brass bed together. It’s very heavy duty and nice upgrade for the guest room. 

See the beach stone idea at the French doors … I cute them to fit and Mark’s going to grout them. 

It’s delightful to have the house back to normal again. What a huge undertaking it was having the bedroom floors done. Whew. 

So it’s Memorial day here. Mark cooked us steaks and mushrooms and we had a glass of Cabernet wine. Nice day. 

Saturday, May 28, 2022

Good evening y’all. It’s been a good day … some puttering about, some donations to the humane society store and a few “extras” returned to Home Depot. Of course we needed some things to finish our project … so the return and purchase balanced out with .57 cents leftover. 😂

The highlight of our day was a FaceTime call from Rick. It was wonderful to catch up on news and just yak. 

Sue sent me this … 

Ha!

Thursday, May 26, 2022

Our installer arrived before 10 o’clock … nice guy! There are a few problem areas for him as with any renovation. He seems very competent. 

Fast forward to 6 o’clock, and Junior was finished, tidied up and gone. What a wonderful job he did. He didn’t take any breaks, no lunch, no drinks, just worked. We think him and asked him for a card so we could hire him again for future projects. 

Mark worked on the baseboards and got most of the master bedroom done, and tomorrow will do the closet and start on the guest bedroom. We both love the floors and are so glad we had them done instead of just throwing down carpet. Yay us! 😂

So tonight, the bed is made, night tables and lamps working, a little bit of Decor here and there but basically just a good spot to sleep tonight.

Pictures tomorrow.  

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Good evening. We’ve been busy enough around the house, but also watched a little TV and relaxed today. We took the dogs for a nice golf cart ride, a beautiful afternoon it was. Tonight we decided on Stavros Pizza, near us. The house was just too much of  muddle this evening, just getting ready for tomorrow’s floor installation. Finally. We’ve been at this since the beginning of May.

This beautiful boardwalk is near Sue and Wayne’s neighborhood. They were out to a nice club this evening for dinner.

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Good morning clouds! Mark was off shopping first thing this morning while I tidied the house. Last night we went to the movies! Downton Abbey was on the big screen and we had to see it. We’re fans since the PBS series. It was good! Back home we sat on the front porch with drinks while Mark smoked his cigar. It was a fine night. 

Today, while washing my hair in the shower I heard a “blub blub blub” coming from the bathroom sink! I peeked out the shower … no rising water but the shower was not draining! Yikes! Quick rinse … no conditioner and let the shower drain. Yuck. No conditioner on my hair …

Hahaha … I have a lion’s mane. 

Of course when you’re on well and septic … you never know if something hasn’t clogged a drain. Mark checked our shower and cleaned out the drain. That “wasn’t bad” he said. He walked the drain field but that was all good. What the heck? Anyway, we’ll conserve water usage today! 

So it’s now going on 10:30 in the evening and we’ve had a good day. We went to the twisted biscuit for lunch and the food was great. Randy and Dawn have been there many times, so I guess we’ve been missing out for a while. After lunch we went over and had a visit with Randy. Dawn was at work today, so it was just the three of us sitting around chatting. We heard about Scott’s overnight visit and his expensive trip home with the price of fuel. 

Back home, it was a ride around the neighborhood on the golf cart with the kids. Everything is looking shipshape, no boats nor trailers sitting in the driveways anymore! Yay community coordinators (us)! 😂

Monday, May 23, 2022

Good morning. It’s 9 o’clock and we’ve just finished breakfast of cheesy scrambled eggs and avocado slices. Yes, the dogs had the same plus chicken livers. It’s a beautiful sunshiny start to the day! 

Sue and Wayne are on their way out for breakfast in Margate. I think they head back home today to the Villages. 

Saturday, May 21, 2022

Hey, it’s evening already! Yesterday and through the night we had 4.35” of rain. The lake is up 6 inches!👍🏻 Today, no rain, just lingering cloud. 

Our floor project prep continues with me painting the baseboards prior to installation. This will make the finishing job easier for Mark … the final touch with our new flooring. 

While I was painting baseboards in the garage a little storm threatened from the south. 🤨 Mark took The Caddy to KimBob’s garage. Nice to have good friends about. Seven and one-half 12’ boards done … three to go, two coats each. 

Rainy walks! 🐾

Friday, May 20, 2022

Good evening. We’ve had a bit of a lazy day around here, well earned. Sue and Wayne are in South Florida getting a torrential soaking that may last several hours. About 4 o’clock a thunderstorm moved into our area. We are hoping to go out to dinner in a half hour or so, but we will see what the weather does. It’s a gully washer right now.

Thursday, May 19, 2022

Good morning. I was up at 6 o’clock trying to make organization of a massive muddle. 😂 

The Sunroom, usually spacious, is a cluttered hoarder’s dream. 😂 And, as you all know, I’m not a hoarder. There are two ‘new’ dressers and mirrors in that conglomerate along with the bedroom fireplace mantle. 

The dining room is cluttered with boxes of flooring, closet doors and threshold strips. Oh my. 😳

New 5.5” baseboards are stacked waiting for install by Mark. He’s borrowing a big chop saw from KimBob’s son in Titusville for the job. 

More Sunroom muddle … I’m getting twitchy just writing this! 😵‍💫

Everyday we’re painting or ripping something out. 

Mark’s taking the baseboards and tack-strips out of the master bedroom yesterday. I swear, flooring is the biggest renovation to accomplish when you’re living there! 

Last night, we met our neighbor friends for dinner at Oakwood Smokehouse in Eustis. (Our last meet-up with the K’s and RanDawn was at the Lady Lake location.) 

Pat showing Sue the wine glass size in Eustis! There’s definitely a difference from their Lady Lake location!!! Eustis’s is 2 ounces larger! 

After dinner, Mark took the dogs for a short walk while I tidied things up. We are starting to watch upstairs downstairs from 1974. I remember Sylvia and Joanne were fans of it. It was the forerunner to Downton Abbey which we both enjoy. Anyway, it’s available through Amazon prime and then through BritBox.  

Tuesday, May 17, 2022

Good afternoon. At Long last, our Home Depot order arrived. We have 27 boxes of oak flooring and one large box of threshold whatever. 😂 There was a mixup, and on again off again delivery. Delivery window was from 6 AM to 8 PM, which meant we were sitting around home all day. Actually, Mark had a dental appointment this morning and then did grocery shopping. During this time he got a text message saying that our order was delayed and had to be rescheduled for another day. Well, you can imagine my annoyance at hearing this at 9:30 in the morning. Well, long story short, it was all delivered and dropped off here at 11:30. Home Depot sent a special truck with one of their warehouse employees. Now that’s getting the job done.  👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

So today I have been putting back some of what I can in the way of hanging pictures etc. Of course, the furniture can’t go in until the floors are finished. Mark is taking out the baseboards in the master bedroom today. Otherwise, it’s just a normal day around here. LOL 

As it turned out, it was an on again off again day for Sue and Wayne as well. When they were leaving JOHN PRINCE PARK for Margate, the coach air conditioning didn’t come on when they unplugged. Not knowing what was the cause, they headed back to Stuart for tech-support. After a minor repair, and some training on switches, they were back to Margate for the week.

Randy called, and had a pretty good day golfing and scored a 95. He said not as good as last week, he buggered up three holes. Ha ha. He sure enjoys it, and the guys get such a kick out of playing with him. Do you know he has enough golf outfits that he doesn’t have to repeat an outfit in an entire year?! 

It was a hot day … 86 here! At dinner time we got a lovely rain shower! Now it’s time to walk the Scotties before we watch Skinwalker Ranch. It’s really good. 

 Well, I was turning out and going through a box of old pictures! I know the majority of kids names.  

Ha! Mark poured us drinkies for a front porch sit … but I spilled my rum and coconut all over! Next came a flushing out of the front porch … a sweeping … then a fresh drink. 😂 It was a nice night! 

Sunday, March 15, 2022

Good afternoon. As usual around here, it’s been a couple of busy days. Yesterday morning we took the boat and went to the Crazy Gator in downtown Eustis to meet up with our friends from the neighborhood. This is an annual thing we do … a springtime boat ride to one of the lakefront restaurants. There were 49 of us there. Our waiter Andrew, was fantastic … very diligent! He got everybody’s order right and drinks to us swiftly. What more could we ask for! 🥰 We did manage to do a few things when we got back home, but it was a lazier day than usual.

This morning, while Mark was trimming one of the palm trees prior to the start of hurricane season, I went to the Home Depot for some paint. The color I wanted for the guest bedroom is ethereal blue, like we did in the living room. Well, they couldn’t find it and I had thrown out the old can when we emptied it. So, the only blue they could find on record for us that was Ocean Boulevard. So… the guest room will be Ocean Boulevard, the same color as the master bedroom. It was such a hard decision, but Home Depot kind of decided for me. 😂 

Now I have finished cutting in with the blue and I am having a coffee before I start rolling the paint. In the meantime, Mark has been watching football and has now taken the dogs for a golf cart ride.

Sue and Wayne are headed to South Florida for eye doctor appointments with their dogs. 

Finally tonight we got a little bit of rain, the first ina number of weeks. 

Can you see my scribbled arrow? Weird how the storms go around us! American Idol is on so we poured a drink and are watching some TV. Ta ta til tomorrow 

Friday March 13th, 2022

We seem to have gotten through Friday the 13th without incidence. 😉 I picked Sue up this morning and went to Home Goods for retail therapy. The store was well stocked! Geez, some aisles were nearly blocked. Sue doesn’t like to push a cart … but filled up my cart. 🤣 One cute thing she bought was an enclosed cat or small dog bed for Chiki Wee Monkey 🙉. Since Wayne was bound to say “Just what this house needs … “ she arrived home wearing the dog bed as a hat. Now why didn’t I get a picture of that!!! 

After shopping, Sue and I went to lunch at Cody’s … good service and a nice lunch. The outside patio dining was packed but we chose to eat inside at a nice big booth. 

While I was out having fun, Mark installed the hanging rack in our closet, cut the upper shelf to fit and painted it! That’s my guy! 🥰

Tonight we took the kids for a ride on The Caddy … it’s lovely out, maybe some rain coming, we hope. 

About 9 o’clock Mark and Lani came over for drinks on the front porch. We always have good laughs with them.

Tomorrow is a boating lunch with our neighbors.  

Thursday, March 12, 2022

It’s a gorgeous breezy afternoon here in Central Florida! Mark and Bob enjoyed their morning hike in the forest. Horseback riders were on the trails and they saw 10 deer. They were home by 11ish as Bob promised to help Markymark with the jetskis. 

Meanwhile, I finished painting the closet ceiling! Now we can put the tools and such away and tidy the bedroom. It’s been a disaster zone. 😂 But there’s no sense in moving things back into the closet until our new flooring is installed! 

Anyway, looking out the window is lovely. 🥰

Our gardenias are blooming … 

and our Jasmine is prolific, nearly year-round.  Mark cut a few for me and put them in a little cup on the kitchen counter. The aroma is amazing. 

Sue and Wayne have a breakfast place where the dogs are welcome…but no picture yet! C’mon, let’s see it Sue. 

Bark Box just arrived! Woohooo 🐾

And, as if the date couldn’t get any better, the UPS man arrived, uncle Mikey, delivered a package with two doggy bones on top. The kids went wild. Ha ha.

After dinner, we took a ride to Tavares and delivered the recliner chair to a gentleman who had just had open heart surgery. I imagine it’s going to be sleeping in that while he recovers. He had a lovely home, and a lot of beautiful furniture. Anyway, after that we went to the Home Depot and got more paint mixed up for our baseboards and picked up parts for the closet hanging rods. 

Back home, it was 69° so we sat on the front porch while Mark enjoyed a cigar and had a couple of drinks. It was a great day.  

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Good morning! Mark was off to the eye guy at 8:30 for pressure check followup. 👍🏻 That being under control on the newest drops 💦 it’s follow up early June with the other eye guy … then scheduling eye surgery, one at a time for the tearing issue. Baby steps! Maybe by mid July … 🤞

Mark found a new product for patching acoustic ceilings … and I applied it to the two closet ceiling patches where light fixtures were removed. It looks good … now to let it dry overnight before I roll the ceiling paint on. (The cutting in is done!) 

Yesterday’s game day at Elaine’s was nice. I played 10,000 with Nancy, Deenna and Elaine … a fast moving dice game. 

We had fun tonight meeting at the Oakwood smokehouse in Lady Lake. Food was good, and we had quite a few laughs, a lot of antics with Randy.

(Temporary Backup) Monday, May 9, 2022

It’s a beautiful day here in Central Florida … bright and sunny and in the 80’s.  

Our “work” around the house continues with Mark tapping out the carpet tack strips and removing the baseboards. It looks like June before we’ll get things tidied up. 😳 

Tuesday, May 10, 2022

Good morning. I hope y’all had a chance to read about the derby party because I believe the blog has disappeared. I know, what the heck?

Anyway, today is game day at Elaine’s house. Mark is shopping and running errands this morning. 

He’s looking for a particular saw that he “needs.” 😉 This saw he currently has will not work for the 5 inch baseboard we will be installing in the two bedrooms. 

Our brother-in-law Kris is still in the hospital being treated. We wish him well and hope he gets home very quickly. We know Diane and the doggies are missing him.  

Friday, May 6, 2022

Good afternoon. It’s been another reasonably busy day today. Mark had an eye doctor appointment at 9:30 while I had a buyer picking up a tall dresser I had sold and another buyer at 11 o’clock picking up the bookcase headboard from the guestroom. I have two other items to sell from that room yet. No, it’s grocery time as we have a party tomorrow and are taking potato salad. No, we don’t eat potato salad, but we have been asked to bring it. Weird. 

Thursday, May 5, 2020

Good afternoon. It’s just after 3 o’clock and I’m waiting for the wax to dry before buffing it on the Thomasville dresser we purchased on Monday. It’s all cleaned up, and it looks great.

The pine dresser and mirror that we picked up today in Umatilla is terrific. It is not the same quality as a Thomasville, but is very durable and in good condition! I worked on that one today, cleaning it up and removing stuck paper that someone had lined the drawers with.

We got this one for $90 … 👍🏻

Meanwhile, we accepted a quote from Home Depot for new flooring in the master and guest bedrooms. Tomorrow they’ll let us know when installation will be. 🥳

Wednesday, May 4, 2022

Good afternoon. Yes, I have missed a few days of blogging. It’s been a whirlwind around here. Ha ha. On Sunday night we went to Kim and Bob’s for drinks at 6 o’clock but somehow didn’t get home until 11. It was tons of fun, and their daughter took her dogs for a ride on our golf cart. It was really funny, and I wonder what ours will think when they get in it this week. 

Then, Bob and Mark took a ride down the street for ceegars …

So you see, the caddy is quite popular in the neighborhood. Now Markymark is looking at buying an eight passenger one for us all. Ha ha, I can’t see where that would be any problem. 🥳

Monday, Mark and I decided to tear our master bedroom closet apart, and while he went for supplies, I emptied all the clothes and photo albums out of it.

The problem was, there are some pipes on what used to be the laundry room wall years ago, and I wanted them dry walled over. Well it always sounds easy, but the new two by sixes had to be notched out for each of the pipes. Mark is the man for the job, he did it beautifully. Then we humped the drywall into the house, just the two of us, and began screwing it up. No no, not messing it up, actually using screws to put it up. Ha ha. 

So, that’s just taken today. Meanwhile, yesterday was quite the bargain hunting day.

I saw this on marketplace and bought it, but the trick was we had to drive to the villages to pick it up. Well, as you can see, it’s a well made piece of furniture which equates to very effing heavy. Mark and I managed to get it onto the little trailer, strapped down and ready to go when the lady suggested maybe we wanted the brass bed for $40. Well that was too good a deal to refuse, so the next thing was we took the brass bed too. We think she had a look at the old Mountie and the funny little trailer we were towing and felt sorry for us. She gave us a glass and brass night table free, plus assorted plates and things that we are donating to the Humane Society store. It was all quite funny. Since we were right in the neighborhood, we had a visit with Sue and Wayne. They were busy having a water system installed at their home. Currently the chlorine in the water is affecting Sue’s fingernails. 😂 as we were leaving, other workers were installing the new screen door with the heron on it. It looks beautiful and I asked Sue to take a picture for the blog! 

In the middle of all this fun, Mark had to go to the dentist to get an x-ray done to make new retainers. While he was away, I measured a few things and decided the new, old dresser we just picked up will fit perfectly on one wall of the closet. This means we don’t have to buy “closet furniture“ which is crazy expensive. We will have plenty of space for a double rack of hanging. And we have another wall for the shoe rack. So, Mark looked at my idea and agreed. Well now, we don’t have a dresser for the guestroom which is where this all started waaaayyyy back when we ended up with the new “bar” in the sunroom! That’s how we roll … a bit wobbly 😂

Meanwhile, our brother-in-law Kris is in hospital with blood clots in his lungs. He has been having trouble for several weeks and it has taken a myriad of doctors and hospitals to figure out exactly what is going on. His symptoms have been that of a heart attack. Anyway, at Leesburg hospital he is being taken care of and is getting the correct treatment now. He will be in there for several days. 🤞 

Tonight, we are meeting with Sue, Wayne, LaDonna and Wayno for dinner. We best get dusted off and ready. 

Sunday, May 1, 2022

Good morning! I’m up early and listening to Willie Nelson’s newest album. Yesterday was his 89th birthday, and he still sounds great. 🎶